Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I have been in an organization called, MOPS, now since Olivia was about 1 yearold. It stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. In the summers we still gettogether and have play dates. Basically almost every Wednesday we meetat a park and pack a picnic lunch. MOPS has been a wonderful and encouraging outlet for me. Here is the website if interested: http://www.mops.org/. Our group meets the first and third Wednesday of every month. Sorry the pictures are so little, I am not sure why?!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

This past week we lost a special man in our congregation. He had been sick for most of the time he was at Crossroads. Both Brad and I wished we would of gotten to know him better. He lived a full life serving in the military as a Chaplain. I think he was a Sargent too, but I forget what rank he held. I believe he had 3 children, I have gotten to know his wife just a little. He died this past Thursday and on Sunday when we went to church we sat a few rows in back of his wife, his 3 kids, their spouses, and all the grandchildren. It was so humbling to see them all worshipping at church. They all looked beautiful, and even though I know they were grieving they were also rejoicing in the fact that they knew he had gained his inheritance in Heaven. He was no longer sick any longer. The first song we sang I could barely get these words out b/c not only were these grieving people singing this song they were living, breathing, and finding the hope and comfort in these words: "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." Mr. Konyyenbelt left a footprint on my heart. His legacy and the one his wife is showing others by her strength in trusting God's will with this next phase of her life was such a blessing for me to witness. Another song we sang on Sunday went like this and it was ever so appropriate: "High King of Heaven, my victory won, may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'n's Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all."

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The hospital just called to confirm that my c-section date is Saturday, Nov 7th @ 10am! We started painting the room on Saturday. Olivia loved helping. I bought this cute little outfit while we were on vacation. I couldn't resist hanging it up already. I had my glucola test this morning. I hope I passed. Drinking that orange drink in 5 minutes is gross. And anyone that knows me drinking anything that is 10 oz for me in 5 minutes is hard. I am getting excited and very anxious.

Boy was it hot on Saturday when we went to the fair. We still had a great time, other then the fact Brad hurt his butt on that big slide during the landing. He has been sitting on a boppy during his work day. Olivia of course loved having her cotton candy!

This was the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at during our trip to Traverse City, Michigan. It was just perfect. The gourmet breakfast each morning were so delish. This was the longest we had ever been away from Olivia..5 whole nights. She did great with both sets of grandparents, and we so much appreciated the break. Thanks so much! I am not sure how couples manage without the help of such loving grandparents. We are so blessed! We couldn't wait to come back and hug her. She looked liked she had grown so much.

We had to drive 7 hrs in order to meet our friends, the Erwin's for dinner. No they just happened to be at their beach house while we were there too. It worked out great. It was nice catching up and relaxing and not wondering what the kids were doing.

Brad got to golf twice and I enjoyed sitting in the golf cart watching him. Although the second time he played it was freezing cold, I kept my hood on and wrapped myself up in a fleece blanket. We sure did eat lots of great food on this trip. Fine dining galore. I think we also ate ice cream every night. We enjoyed lots of yummy fish!

We celebrated my Grandpa's 84th birthday on August 1st. We hadn't seen them since Christmas; it was great visiting with them. Olivia was very interested in Greatpa's new motorized chair and now when we are at places and she sees a motorized chair she says "Greatpa and Greatma can come here too". Michelle made some good turkey legs, baked beans and corn on the grill. Olivia enjoyed helping Greatma play Candy Land. I am not sure when the next time I will see them next. I sure am thankful I get to talk to them on the phone frequently.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

I just had to post a picture of Candy Land. Right now this is Olivia's favorite game to play. Brad and I play this a lot with her every day. She loves the face cards and wants to shuffle them all on top, but we keep telling her that she can't do that. Still her favorite card is Princess Frostline and whether or not that card puts her forward or backward she loves to get it! It's fun getting to play games with her now.

I am way behind on my postings! Nonetheless, Kate and her girls, Ella and Kiera came to Fishers for the day and we went to Connor Prairie and spent a great afternoon there. Our intent was to head for a water park, but it seemed to cool out to go. They played in the indoor kids area for awhile, and then we had lunch. We got to pet a lot of animals in the animal barn and then we went back inside and did some crafts. It was great because Katie and I got to catch up while the girls played.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Olivia above having her first fluoride treatment. She got a great grade on her dental exam. We moved from an A+ to an A this time. We need to work on brushing her gums better. And need to start flossing...oh my that should be fun?! My rule use to be "one sugar a day" as she gets older it is getting harder to stick by that.

Here I am at Columbian Park 24 weeks pregnant. We are really getting excited and have started to gather up Olivia's old baby stuff. I can't believe how tiny she used to be. We got the paint color for her room and have really been brainstorming away on baby names. I think we are going to try and keep her name a secret until she is born! Liv has lots of names for her though, which she changes on a daily basis.

Last weekend we took a little drive and headed up to Lafayette to Columbian Park. It was a darling park and I definitely recommend it if you have young children. Olivia went on the 3 fair rides that were built in the 50's. She loved them. We went to their little Zoo..which was free, we also ventured to the water park but the water was so cold we only stayed in for like 15 minutes. After that we let her play in the park area which was great. The picture below which we called the "Zip Line" was her favorite. It was just a great family day for us. Brad and I were talking about what fun we have had just the 3 of us since Olivia has been born, things are going to change a lot once the baby comes. We really savored in the moment of it just being "the 3 of us" and enjoyed our daughter's enthusiasm and fun spirit while we were there. We had dinner at Bruno's Swiss Inn and the food was great! Very Yummy pizza! I hadn't been by the Purdue campus in years.

Spring is here

Family Photo

Easter 2010

It started with us:

College friends first.Sweethearts next

Then came Jackson

Halloween outfit 2009

Then came: Olivia Margaret

Born: July 16th, 2005

Then Ava Mairenn Arrived

Born: Nov 5th, 2009

We welcome you to our blog. I am basically writing this and using this blog as a tool to communicate the unique moments and the "normal" everyday happenings of our family life. Already by the age of 3 1/2 the word family to Olivia is something that is tender to her heart and has made me validate even more the importance of family life. My hope is that this journal will be something in the years to come that our daughters can look back on and get a quick glimpse of what our life was like. Olivia is such a beautiful little person inside and out. We are humbled everyday by her innocence and thank God for giving us such a well spirited child. Her enthusiasm and zest for life is contagious. Ava came into our lives November of 2009; we can't imagine what our lives would of looked like without her in it. She is such a small and delicate little flower. We love her giggles and belly laughs. But most of all Brad and I love seeing Olivia and Ava as "sisters". I am glad that you can take part in this journey as well, as we try and capture their special moments on camera!